


in the rain.

by alezander



Category: Mulan - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Childhood Friend, Disability, F/M, M/M, Mulan fanfic, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 20:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alezander/pseuds/alezander
Summary: This entry was written for Yaoi Otaku's BL Writing COntest for the month of September, 2017 with the theme "The Childhood Friend". I was trying to write something about "if you thought Mulan volunteered to enlist in the military in her father's stead, you are mistaken. She enlisted for her little brother's stead..." Like a secret brother kind of thing.Also, I wasn't trying to be faithful to the the "canon" of Mulan's legend so there. This entry was written while listening to Miraculous' OST "in the rain".P.S. after I was finished writing, I tried looking it up, and it turns out that Mulan actually did have a younger brother.





	in the rain.

**Author's Note:**

> This entry was written for Yaoi Otaku's BL Writing COntest for the month of September, 2017 with the theme "The Childhood Friend". I was trying to write something about "if you thought Mulan volunteered to enlist in the military in her father's stead, you are mistaken. She enlisted for her little brother's stead..." Like a secret brother kind of thing.
> 
> Also, I wasn't trying to be faithful to the the "canon" of Mulan's legend so there. This entry was written while listening to Miraculous' OST "in the rain".
> 
> P.S. after I was finished writing, I tried looking it up, and it turns out that Mulan actually did have a younger brother.

Grey clouds and a seemingly endless whiteness beyond. Fine drops fall on my face, over and over, until all I could feel was the coldness etch into my flesh. Silently, I hid my tears in the rain.

If it hadn't been for the fact that I was sickly, she wouldn't have gone, and so would he. My sister, my lovely elder sister. Off she went to war for my sake, for my lungs were weak and my legs could not support me. Without a hint of reluctance, without fear in her eyes, she donned our father's armour and left in the steal of the night, promising her return. I could not stop her, and so did he. Instead, he gave me his word that he would come after her and bring her back. Everything was going so fast that I couldn't say a thing. And so that night, the two people I cared most about went somewhere far away as the war beckoned them. I was restless as I waited, day after day, month after month. I prayed and begged the spirits of our ancestors to please lead them home safely. Still, they never came back.

He wasn't the most perfect person in the village. He was a drunkard and a gambler, and he often fought with his father in the middle of the streets in broad daylight. He had a hot temper and made many enemies. But the fact that he befriended me, a cripple and a shame to my family, gave me certainty that he had a kind heart. Hidden in the room farthest inside the house was my little world, and he, my childhood friend, would visit me everyday. Since we were children, he made me laugh, he gave me warmth, he gave me dreams. I was lacking in many ways, but because of him, I learned how to love. Yet I swore to never tell him how I felt, because he was in love with my sister.

The war was terrible, and it was no surprise when the proclamation came to demand the participation of at least one man from every household. But it was nevertheless dreadful for all of us. My father, whose age had caught up with him, took it as a matter of fact that it was he who would go. Seeing their crushed spirits, for once, in that family gathering, I spoke and told them that I would go instead.

"I will go. I am a man and I shall fight for my family." I said, and the silence after was deafening that when I limped out to pack my things, no one stopped me. I knew what their silence meant. They weren't expecting me to return after all. When they had looked at me when I spoke, it was as if they were surprised I was even there. But it's all good, I thought. This way, father won't have to go. Never was I so wrong in my life. Now my sister has taken my place and has never been seen since.

Often I've wondered how things would have turned out if I wasn't such a weakling, a useless person. She would not have gone, and so would he. He had older brothers to count on so he didn't have to go. They would not have to fight for a cause that they did not understand. They would not have to be scared or be cold and uncomfortable. If they hadn't gone, I would not have to stand in the rain clutching this letter in my fist, my fingers having dug into my pale palm that for once, has shed blood. If they hadn't gone, I would not have to be screaming silently like this.

The skies clear, and the rain lifts. The world is slowly warming up and the birds start to sing. Everyone else is recovering, and only I am left cold and grieving. The parchment in my hand had turned soggy and the ink ran over. It didn't feel real, nothing did. Even my tears ceased to matter. In the end, everything was washed away in the rain.


End file.
